Guardian

7

Not again.

Namjoon sighed, pausing and eyeing the cat ahead of him. A new family had moved in the night before, and he hadn't had the chance to go over and investigate. Now it came back to bite him.

Namjoon was no kitten, but this cat was huge. One of its ears was tattered, its fur patchy and rough. Namjoon approached slowly, unsure, and scrambled back when the cat hissed, hackles rising. Namjoon hissed back, crouching low, watching carefully, and when the cat turned and left he held in a sigh of relief.

Outdoor cats were a pain to deal with. Namjoon never made specific claims on his territory (he liked the form of the cat, the comfortable feeling of his paws in the earth, not fighting other animals), but when another cat did, he always ended up fighting it. He understood, of course-- and if another cat tried to push its way into Jimin's house he would be upset-- but it was still a pain, avoiding all those cats and wondering how long it would be before he was driven out of the neighborhood.

He liked this neighborhood. The people were kind, it was full of plants and happy foliage, he could watch the bird in the window of the third house down the road for hours... he didn't want to leave it, if he could help it.

Which was another reason he didn't want Jimin to find out what he really was. As long as Jimin accepted him, he was welcome in the neighborhood. At least it seemed that way. He was sure it would change if Jimin rejected him.

He shook himself and continued on. Better not to become absorbed in sad thoughts on such a sunny day. He had a neighborhood to wander before the rainy season hit and Jimin attempted to shut him indoors, a preventative action that tended to make him stir-crazy and created plenty of awkward videos.

After Taehyung convinced Jimin to send him a few, Namjoon was not eager to create more.

He turned the corner and slowed to a frustrated halt as he saw the cat again. Was there no chance of peace today? The cat turned as he made to cross the street and hissed again, and Namjoon picked up his pace, keeping his eyes firmly ahead. He turned the next corner and saw a couple approaching, one man dangling off the other and laughing as if he had heard the funniest thing in the world. As they drew closer, Namjoon recognized Taehyung and saw the phone in his hand, and his blood ran cold.

You have got to be kidding me.

Taehyung looked up and slowed to a halt, a wide grin stretching across his face. "Hello!" he said. "Nice weather, isn't it?"

Jungkook rolled his eyes, poking Taehyung in the side. "Nice to meet you," he said. "Taehyung's told me a lot about you."

Of course, Namjoon thought, sitting down with a resigned sigh and glaring at Taehyung.

"I'm guessing you didn't have his permission to share those videos?" Jungkook grumbled, reaching over and sliding the phone out of Taehyung's hand. Taehyung's grin didn't falter-- he simply took it back, shoving it in his pocket.

Namjoon was still trying to process another person knowing who he was. As he watched, Jungkook rolled his eyes again, wrapping his arms around Taehyung's waist and resting his chin on his shoulder.

"I wouldn't want you sharing videos of me in form," he said, smirking as Taehyung's smile fell. "Would I?"

Taehyung turned bright pink, glancing down at the ground. "Sorry," he mumbled.

Namjoon wasn't sure cats' bodies were meant for eye-rolling, but he gave it a try all the same, padding up to Jungkook and butting his head against his shin. Jungkook let go of Taehyung and picked Namjoon up, cradling his back legs as expertly as Jimin. Namjoon perched against his shoulder, startled, craning his neck around to gauge Taehyung's reaction.

"Tae explained your situation," Jungkook said, running a hand down Namjoon's back. "I don't agree with his methods, but he's right, Joon."

Despite the rush of joy at the nickname, Namjoon deflated. Not again. Not another one. Can we please stop talking about how I choose to live my life?

"How long have you been hanging around Jimin?" Taehyung asked. "The longer you wait, the more it will hurt him. He should at least know."

Namjoon stiffened. I am not returning to my human form for a face reveal, he thought angrily. He would not play that game again. He had chosen to live as a cat, not as a human, and switching between the two forms carelessly would give people whiplash. He wanted to be known as a cat. He would not cave for the sake of making someone more nervous about him--

"Jimin wouldn't be nervous!" Taehyung cried, throwing his hands in the air. "Jimin's the last person who would be nervous, honestly!"

Namjoon squirmed, and Jungkook crouched to set him down.

"If anything, he'd be hurt that you didn't trust him with that information."

Was every meeting with Taehyung going to end like this? Namjoon sighed, looking up at him and sweeping his tail back and forth.

This isn't a matter of trust, Taehyung. I am a cat. I won't sit someone down and try to explain my past to them when it's never going to go further than it has already.

"You're going to regret that," Taehyung said. "You're already in lo--"

All the fur along Namjoon's body stood on end, and he yowled, backing away and taking off down the street in the other direction. He heard Jungkook call after him, but he was done. He would not sit around while people tried to make him question his life choices and accused him of stalking someone who was no more than a friend.

If he saw Taehyung again he just might give him a matching clawmark on the other side.

He looked up a moment too late and bowled into the new cat.

Fuck!

My goal is to make Tae as irritating as possible. Is it working?